What NOT To Buy

Back in October when my last digital camera started to malfunction after a few years of faithful service, I went to Best Buy and asked the sales associate for a digital camera under $200 for everyday picture-taking. She recommended the Fuji Finepix J38, which was on special at the time and had pretty good reviews online.

This camera has been a huge disappointment since I purchased it. It washes out colors, has an unduly bright flash, the quality of the pictures, at 12.2 megapixels, appears well below that of my old 5 megapixel camera, and now, a mere 8 months later, no longer allows pictures to be uploaded to my computer. It seems that the USB connection is broken.

I don't expect a tremendous amount from my camera--I'm no photographer and simply want decent quality pictures and an easy to use, well made product that lives longer than, say, 8 months. If you're in the market for a new digital camera, stay far away from this one. It's also the last time I'll be taking the advice of the Best Buy salesperson!

Unfortunately this means I will not have posts with pictures for a while. :( Any recommendations for a new camera?